The Callous Conquest
by Wolfwood-89
Summary: A cool fic about Inuyasha and the gang...some sci-fi mixed in there too (aliens and such) Please R&R so I know how you guys like my first fic.
1. Disclaimer and Introduction

Enjoy my story and please help me with a title! After reading my summary and Chapter 1 maybe you can have better success with a title than I had. Also, tell me about any errors I have missed, or if the story is good or bad. And finally, I have included a introduction to let you guys know were my story begins on the Inuyasha timeline. You can choose to read the intro or not, it won't effect you're knowledge of my story.  
  
Disclaimer- I do not own any Inuyasha characters besides the ones I have created through my own imagination. I do not own any cities or towns that are taken from the Inuyasha anime and/or manga, and I do not own the anime or manga of Inuyasha itself.  
  
Introduction: A Heavy Burden  
  
After Goshinki, a telepathic incarnation of Naraku bit Inuyasha's precious sword, Tetsusaiga, into two pieces, Inuyasha sought the smith who forged Tetsusaiga so he could repair the sword. Because Totosai, the smith who forged Tetsusaiga, had originally forged the sword with the fang of Inuyasha's father, he know had to use Inuyasha's fang, which was much less powerful than his great father's.  
  
With the new Tetsusaiga, Inuyasha faced many troubles, and had trouble wielding his new sword. With the weakness of Inuyasha's fang compared to his father's, the Tetsusaiga was practically useless to Inuyasha, as it was much to heavy to perform a swift attack. Inuyasha was unable to fight with his heavy Tetsusaiga and went to Totosai to seek advice onhow to make Tetsusaiga lighter.  
  
Inuyasha learns that before his father died, he sealed Ryuukoytsusei but was not able to kill the dragon. If Inuyasha can slay Ryuukoytsusei, he will have surpassed his father's abilities, and Inuyasha's fang will be just as powerful as his father's, making the Tetsusaiga lighter than ever. Inuyasha is also told that the only way to kill Ryuukoytsusei is to cut out his heart, which is right under his father's seal. With that, Inuyasha, Kagome, Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Myouga go to find Ryuukoytsusei.  
  
Unfortunately, Naraku realizes what Inuyasha is trying to accomplish by looking for Ryuukoytsusei. He knows that none of his incarnations have worked against Inuyasha and decides to give Ryuukoytsusei a little help and motivation when fighting Inuyasha. Naraku beats the group to the dragon and unseals him, forcing Inuyasha to have to fight Ryuukoytsusei, instead of cutting out his heart when Ryuukoytsusei is sealed and unable to move.   
  
Obviously, this is a much harder task for Inuyasha, and when he arrives at Ryuukoytsusei's mountain, he finds, to his surprise, that Ryuukoytsusei is awakened! Their fight begins, as Kagome, Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Totosai spectate. As usual, Myouga has fled. As the fight goes on, Inuyasha's sword is batted away form him by Ryuukoytsusei, and Inuyasha transformed into his full demon form.   
  
In his form, he amazingly fights against his urge to kill and tries to reach Tetsusaiga. With the help of Miroku's wind tunnel, Inuyasha is able to reach the Tetsusaiga without the interference of Ryuukoytsusei and launches his next attack, which hits Ryuukoytsusei right in the heart. With this battle won, Inuyasha mastered the Tetsusaiga's ultimate attack, Bakuryuuha, and lightened Tetsusaiga. On top of that, Inuyasha once again foiled Naraku's plans, and now heads off for his next adventure. 


	2. The Wind Dies Out Forever

Chapter 1: The Wind Dies Out Forever  
  
The sun was just rising over the mountain of Ryuukoytsusei, and Inuyasha was lying in pain on the mountain base. The great battle that had just occurred was able to tire out even Inuyasha, and he slowly tried to get up, but did not succeed. He had a giant gash on his left arm where Ryuukoytsusei had struck with his tail, and had a dangerously large hole in his abdomen area where Ryuukoytsusei had repeatedly rammed his head.  
  
The dust had just settled, and the skies were clear of all signs of a rainy day. Kagome, Sango, Shippo, and Miroku had just landed on the ground after watching the fight atop Totosai's flying cow. Totosai, himself, was standing next to the group, scouting the landscape to find Inuyasha.   
  
The mountains were not very high, and the task of finding Inuyasha should not have been such trouble, but as low as the mountains were, their maze-like shape could conceal a person very easily. Hidden in a crevice on the base of the mountain, Inuyasha attempted to call out Kagome's name, in hope that she would hear. Unfortunately, his weakened voice and the deepness of the crevice prevented his cries for help to reach the group's ears.  
  
"Where could he be?" Sango asked while looking for Inuyasha by a grassy field next to the mountain, shading her eyes from the sun.  
  
"He must be close, I mean, how far could he have gone? He was fighting Ryuukoytsusei right up ahead." Miroku said.  
  
"You fool! Do you think a demon like Ryuukoytsusei would have just taken a blow sitting down? Of course not! He must have struck Inuyasha right before Tetsusaiga pierced his heart, sending Inuyasha soaring somewhere in the mountain," Totosai explained.   
  
"Totosai, your right!" Kagome exclaimed. "There is the Tetsusaiga right now! Do you see it stuck in Ryuukoytsusei?"  
  
"Of course I'm right, Kagome." Totosai said confidently. "Inuyasha must have just penetrated Ryuukoytsusei's skin right before he was struck by him!"   
  
Sure enough, the Tetsusaiga was stuck directly in the heart of the ferocious dragon, pinning him to the mountainside. The brilliant and powerful Tetsusaiga looked more beautiful than it ever has, still transformed into its larger size, gleaming in the sun's light. The group approached the sword, and without hesitation, Totosai jumped on his flying cow and flew to the Tetsusaiga, hoping to hold his precious creation.  
  
"Ah, my Tetsusaiga, looking more wonderful than ever. I shall now accept Inuyasha to be your rightful owner after watching his wonderful display when using you in battle today. I hope you shall enjoy being in the company of Inuyasha."  
  
"What is he doing up there?" Shippo wondered. "Totosai, are you going to bring down Tetsusaiga or what?"  
  
Totosai jumped in surprise, being knocked out of his emotional daydream by Shippo's loud yelling.   
  
"Shut up, will you!" Totosai yelled. "I'm coming." Then, Totosai wrapped his hands around the Tetsusaiga and, expecting this task to require no effort at all, pulled the Tetsusaiga. Surprisingly, the sword did not budge.   
  
Again, Totosai attempted to pull the sword out of the mountainside, but failed once more. Out of breath, Totosai descended back to the ground.  
  
"Totosai, what happened?" Where's the Tetsusaiga?" Miroku interrogated.   
  
After catching his breath and regaining his composure, Totosai replied, "The darn thing won't budge! I pulled as hard as I could and it won't even wiggle a little bit. It is completely stuck in that mountain."  
  
"Maybe Inuyasha can take it out of the mountain," Kagome suggested.  
  
"Of course he can!" Shippo excitedly exclaimed, "but first we have to find him."  
  
With that, the group headed to the path that was conveniently located a few feet to the right of them, and headed into the maze that was the mountain of Ryuukoytsusei.  
  
"Wait, Totosai." Sango said. "Your cow flies, does he not?"  
  
"Yes, the only cow with the blessed ability. Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Sango?"  
  
"I'll take Kirara, and you take your cow. Let's see if we can find Inuyasha in the air. Kirara! Let's go!"  
  
Sango and Totosai, both riding on their flight-blessed animals, took to the sky, hoping to find Inuyasha in the mountains. Looking down at the mountains, they saw numerous caves and crevices, but not Inuyasha.  
  
After a thorough search of the mountain maze and the mountaintops, they concluded that Inuyasha must be in one of the caves or crevices and headed back to the rest of the group.  
  
"We couldn't find Inuyasha, but at least we have a lead on his location. We have to search every crevice and cave in this horrid mountain maze." Sango disappointedly told the group.  
  
"Well, looks like we're back to our original plan," Miroku said with a heavy sigh, "so let's head off into this maze." That was the last word spoken among the group, and they walked down the path into the maze in search for Inuyasha.   
  
As soon as the group was out of sight, Kagura comes out of hiding behind a boulder, throws her feather into the air and hops on to fly to report what she saw and heard to Naraku. 'How could Inuyasha survive that last blow from Ryuukoytsusei?' She thought to herself. 'That was the dragon's final blow. It was meant to be a desperation attack. There is no way Inuyasha should be breathing right now!'  
  
In about a half-hour, Kagura landed in the courtyard of Naraku's castle and headed for the front door. The buildings seemed old and abandoned, but were the home to one of the most evil demons of all time.   
  
Naraku, the despicable demon who never sullies his own hands, always has his cheap tricks and hordes of demons and incarnations to hide behind. His main goal is to eliminate Inuyasha from this earth and to collect all the shards of the Shikon jewel to use for his own evil desires.   
  
Kagura opened the door to the castle and walked inside, only to see Naraku staring out the back window of the castle. He always seemed to be in that spot, staring out the window. Nobody knows what he does there. Maybe he daydreams about the jewel, or plans his next trick against Inuyasha, but one cannot be too sure of what he really is doing.  
  
Naraku realized Kagura's arrival, but did not turn his head to look at her. His facial expression was unemotional, and he seemed to be in deep thought.  
  
"Naraku! Ryuukoytsusei has failed to slay Inuyasha." Kagura reported. "You said he was our best chance, so now what?"  
  
"Kagura, do not fret. I will think of something. By the way, where are Inuyasha's friends now?"  
  
"They went to search for Inuyasha in the mountains. Why do you ask?"  
  
"Ah, perfect. Kagura, do you not see our opportunity here? Inuyasha is wounded somewhere in the mountains while his friends are searching for him alone. We can attack his friends because they are not in Inuyasha's protection."  
  
"Naraku, you never fail to please me." Kagura said, an evil smirk spreading across her face.  
  
Elsewhere, back at Ryuukoytsusei's mountain, Kagome, Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Totosai continue their search for Inuyasha. They have been walking in the "maze" of the mountain for about an hour, hitting dead ends and making wrong turns when their was a fork in the road.   
  
"Inuyasha! Where are you?" Shippo and Kagome would scream about every five minutes, in hope of an answer from Inuyasha. Of course, there was no answer, as Inuyasha was still lying unconscious on the mountain base on the other side of the mountain.   
  
He now looked even worse than before, his blood quickly spilling out of both the gash in his left arm and the hole in his stomach. If this excessive bleeding kept up, Inuyasha could die.  
  
Riding on her giant feather, Kagura quickly approached the mountain. She planned to attack the group, kill them all, and then proceed by finding Inuyasha herself. Once she found him, she was to bring him to Naraku. This would be easy to her since he was so badly injured.  
  
"Ah, there is the mountain now," Kagura said with a smirk as she spotted the huge dragon pinned to the mountainside. Her feather seemed to increase in speed, as Kagura was eager to kill. Now that she was at the mountain of Ryuukoytsusei, all that was left for her to do was to find the unsuspecting group and enjoy the easy kills.  
  
She flew over the maze and looked below her, searching for any signs of people.   
  
"Inuyasha! Inuyasha! Please answer me!" Kagome screamed into the mountains, now desperate that the dog-demon would answer her calls. Unfortunately, Kagome's calls for Inuyasha did not help Inuyasha find them as she planned, but instead helped Kagura find them. Kagura pinpointed Kagome's position and landed in front of them wearing her familiar and menacing smile.  
  
"Kagura!" Miroku grimaced at the wind sorceress, remembering his last encounter with her and her sister, Kanna, at Koharu's hut. He remembered how she carelessly controlled the innocent villagers and held their lives in her hands like it was no big deal at all. He remembered how she and Kanna controlled Koharu and pitted him against her. He remembered all the hate he feels towards this woman, and reached for his rosary beads, planning to use his wind tunnel. He unwrapped the beads from his hand, and opened his right hand, revealing the cursed hole in his palm.  
  
"Wind tunnel!" Miroku called out his attack and hoped to devour Kagura and seal her forever in the black hole in his right hand.  
  
"You fool!" Kagura yelled. "Do you really think that I, wind sorceress Kagura, would be sucked in by your wind tunnel? Need I not remind you that I control all wind. Your attack is useless against me!" In a whirlwind of rage, Kagura unleashed her attack with the flick of her wrist, her fan sending out blades of wind.   
  
The attack struck Miroku directly in the hand and chest, nearly cutting off his wrist and nearly missing his heart. The blades sent him flying backwards into a rock wall, rendering him unconscious.   
  
"This next one will finish you!" she said, raising her arm to prepare for another wave of her deadly fan. Unfortunately for Kagura, she seemed to underestimate Sango and Kagome, who were both ready to defend their friend.  
  
Before Kagura could send out her second wave of her Blades of Fury, Sango yelled out her war cry and heaved her boomerang towards Kagura. The wind sorceress had noticed the boomerang coming, but it was to late for her to evade it, and she was struck with Sango's precious weapon, the Hiraikotsu.   
  
"Yes, direct hit!" Sango exclaimed as the Hiraikotsu returned to her.  
  
"Too bad you couldn't finish the job!" came a voice from under the pile of rocks the Hiraikotsu had hit Kagura into. About a second later, blades of wind broke the pile of rocks open and eventually hit Sango. Kagura's attack sent Sango into the same rock wall as Miroku, and now both Sango and Miroku were unconscious, leaving only Kagome, Shippo and Totosai left.  
  
This time, Totosai was the one to attack spitting fire at Kagura. Of course, Kagura's wind easily extinguished Totosai's flames and sent him soaring into his flying cow.  
  
"Little girl, are you going to join your friends?" Kagura said, looking at Kagome. "Why don't you sit next to them unconscious on that rock wall?" She then fired her Blades of Fury at Kagome who managed to pull off a last-second shot of her arrow at Kagura. The arrow did not hit Kagura, but nearly protected Kagome from Kagura's attack.   
  
However, one blade managed to penetrate Kagome's sacred arrow's barrier and hit Kagome's shoulder, cutting her. Seeing the blood, Kagome screamed at the top of her lungs, but managed to get another arrow ready for a shot despite the excruciating pain. She released the string of her bow, sending yet another sacred arrow towards Kagura, who stood her ground, watching the arrow get closer to her without a sign of any fear at all.  
  
Kagura easily sidestepped the arrow and watched it stick to the mountainside behind her. Kagome let out a gasp of fear, knowing that she could not fight Kagura by herself.  
  
"So, Kagome, now do you realize that you are no match for me?" Don't try to fight back, just accept your death!" Kagura said, readying another attack from her deadly fan.  
  
Elsewhere, deep in a crevice, Inuyasha awakens to hear the screams of Kagome, but is too weak to get up and defend her. He is desperate to help, but can do nothing. He doesn't have his sword and is too wounded to fight in his current state.  
  
"I have to…help…Kagome," he said, every word he spoke giving him sharp pains in his stomach. Knowing that he could do nothing, a familiar sensation came over Inuyasha. A sensation that he was desperate to live, or desperate to save Kagome in this case. His eyes turned that familiar red color, and the purple streaks crossed his face. It seemed that the whole crevice had just lit up.  
  
Inuyasha now had the strength he did not have before. He now had the desire to kill, the desire to rip flesh with his claws. Inuyasha had transformed into his pure-demon state! He easily jumped out of the crevice, and followed his nose to the scent of Naraku.  
  
"Kagome! No!" Shippo cried, biting the leg of Kagura, desperately trying to save his friend.  
  
"Get off of me, you vermin!" Kagura demanded, shaking her leg to get rid of Shippo. He could no longer hold on, and his grip was loosening. With one last shake of her leg, Shippo finally let go of her leg and went sprawling across the ground, laying motionless at the far end of the path.  
  
"Now, to finish you, Kagome!" She raised her arm once more, in a second attempt to end Kagome's life. As she was about to swing her fan towards Kagome, Kagura felt her back seem to rip open. She looked over her shoulder at her back, and four parallel gashes were streaked across her back, blood gushing out of each gash.  
  
She looked over to her left only to see Inuyasha's blood-soaked claws, and that was her last sight. Inuyasha leaped in the air claws ready for another slash, and he ripped at the wide-eyed Kagura, ending her life. Kagura's face was cut into four different pieces, as was her legs and chest, and Kagura's body parts seemed to decorate the face of the mountain, her blood now the soil's beverage. The terror of Kagura has finally ended, but Kagome lay on the ground, traumatized of what just happened.  
  
Inuyasha stood there, obviously enjoying the kill in his pure-demon form, a smile from ear to ear. Still hungry for more killing, he turned and stared at Kagome. 


	3. Inuyasha, the Terrible Demon

Chapter 2: Inuyasha, the Terrible Demon  
  
"Inuyasha! It's me Kagome, come to your senses!" Kagome screamed, hoping that the gentle Inuyasha she knew and loved would unmask itself from the terror that stood in front of her. She lay there on the ground, frightened that the Inuyasha that stood in front of her would be his true form if they collected the shards of the Shikon Jewel. She started to regret ever coming to this era; she started to regret even meeting Inuyasha.  
  
'No', she thought, still quivering in fear as Inuyasha approached her wounded body. 'Coming to this era was a blessing, and it is now my job to make Inuyasha stay in his half-demon form, the form of this man that I love most. But my worry for now is how I am going to get out of here alive!'  
  
"Kagome…" came a voice from behind the injured teen. It was Totosai! He was alive and conscious! "You must lead Inuyasha to the Tetsusaiga! It is the only way he will be transformed back into his half-demon form…. and hurry!"   
  
"But Totosai, what about the others here! I cannot leave them here!"  
  
"Do not worry about them, there in good hands."  
  
"Okay, I'll take your word for it," Kagome reluctantly agreed. 'How can I get him to follow me to the Tetsusaiga…I've got it!'   
  
"Kirara!" Kagome yelled, as the beast came running to her full speed, ready to take off with Kagome. Right before Kirara had reached her, Kagome yelled out the "sit" command to Inuyasha, pinning him to the ground, but instead of changing him back to his half-demon form, this act only made him angrier.   
  
Now, airborne on Kirara, Kagome took off in the direction of the Tetsusaiga, hoping Inuyasha would follow them and leave the rest of the group alone. Fortunately, he was following Kagome and Kirara, but catching up and looking more dangerous than ever. 'We better reach the Tetsusaiga soon, for Inuyasha's and my sake.'  
  
"Kirara!" Kagome exclaimed as she spotted the great sword sticking out of the side of the mountain. "See if you can balance yourself on top of the Tetsusaiga, I've got a plan." Kagome pointed towards the sword, shining and reflecting the rays of the sun, as to show Kagome where it was. As she lifted her arm to point, she felt a sharp pain and remembered where Kagura's blade of wind had sliced her.  
  
Kagura, the wind sorceress, the terrible incarnation of Naraku, had been mutilated before her eyes. She will never forget the sight of her gory death, the way her body parts were sliced by Inuyasha's sharp claws like a hot knife through butter, her bones snapping as easily as you would snap a twig.  
  
They had finally reached the Tetsusaiga, but with Inuyasha hot on their tail. As instructed by Kagome, the obedient Kirara balanced himself on the Tetsusaiga, waiting for the arrival of Inuyasha.  
  
"Hey, are we playing circus or are you going to fight me?" Inuyasha taunted from the ground below, looking up as the talented Kirara balance himself on the sword as a circus clown would on the high wire. And, without another word, Inuyasha leaped up from the ground and was headed fast towards Kagome and Kirara; claws ready and sharp as ever.   
  
'Great, this is just as I planned.' Just as Inuyasha was about to swing his sharp claws and rip open Kirara, he jumped out of the way to the right, leaving Inuyasha swiftly heading to the Tetsusaiga.  
  
Inuyasha had already swung his arm towards the place where Kirara had been before he had jumped and sliced the mountain instead of Kirara. To Kagome's relief, her plan had worked, and the rock that Inuyasha had attacked and that was falling to the ground below contained the precious sword of Inuyasha, the Tetsusaiga.  
  
The rocks were falling faster and faster each second, and, at impact with the hard dirt road at ground level, they all broke into pebble-sized pieces, the Tetsusaiga ricocheting of the dirt road and eventually landing flat, reverting to its normal size.  
  
Kagome realized this, and knew that now all she had to do was reach the sword and somehow get it into Inuyasha's hands. With Inuyasha shaking the rock deposits and tiny pebbles out of his nails and off of his arm, Kagome knew that he would be attacking in a faster manner than before, and realized she had little time to think. Finally, she knew what to do and yelled out her next order to Kirara.  
  
After listening to Kagome, Kirara jumped down to the Tetsusaiga. Kagome then reached down and grabbed the sword with her good arm. Unfortunately, her good arm was her left and she was right-handed. All she could do was hope she hit her target and that Inuyasha would react according to her plan.  
  
Looking up into the sky, all Kagome could see was the angered Inuyasha, dropping fast to where Kirara and her were standing. She braced the Tetsusaiga tightly in her left hand, hoping she could make Inuyasha catch the sword in defense when she threw it at him. When he holds the Tetsusaiga, he will transform back to his half-demon form. This was her last hope.  
  
When Inuyasha was about twenty feet away from her, she threw the sword as hard as she could, catching the approaching dog-demon off guard. He reached out his hand toward the soaring Tetsusaiga in an attempt to defend himself. 'Yes! He's going to catch it.' Kagome thought, a triumphant grin crossing her face. But, to her surprise, Inuyasha did not catch the sword, but swatted it away easily with a swing of his arm.  
  
Kagome's facial expression quickly changed from her triumphant grin to a frown of sorrow. She knew that throwing the Tetsusaiga at Inuyasha was her only chance of survival, and she blew it. 'This is it' she thought, biting her lip, as Inuyasha was getting ready to slice Kagome.   
  
Suddenly, a giant boomerang crossed in between Kagome and Inuyasha, who was about five feet away from her at the moment. This boomerang knocked Inuyasha out of the way, but he landed unharmed on the ground and looked at the person who attacked him.   
  
It was Sango, who stood there with Totosai, Miroku, and Shippo, all wounded, but were determined to protect Kagome and Kirara. Sango had a wound on her chest, which was wrapped with white bandages, that were now blood-soaked. Miroku, had his arm and chest wrapped up, and Shippo was physically well, but exhausted from his encounter with Kagura. Totosai seemed fine, as he just got he wind knocked out of him by Kagura.  
  
Now, Inuyasha was furious and was running towards the injured group to slay his attackers. Working together, Totosai made a flame wall around the group so Inuyasha was forced to jump in the air. Then, when airborne, Sango would take another shot at Inuyasha with the Hiraikotsu.   
  
The group watched Inuyasha's shadow as it approached the wall of fire. Sango, boomerang in hand, intensely concentrated on the area above the shadow where Inuyasha would jump.   
  
Fueled by anger, Inuyasha did not seem to care if he was lit on fire and surprising the group, Inuyasha ran right through the fire! Sango, who was unprepared for a ground attack from Inuyasha, was unable to defend herself in time and was cut by Inuyasha and sent soaring to the ground ten feet behind her. She looked worse than ever now, her bandages cut apart and her wound from Kagura deepened by Inuyasha's sharp claws.  
  
Sliding to a stop Inuyasha turned around and faced Totosai, Miroku, and Shippo, blood dripping from his fingers. Before Inuyasha could even advance towards the three, Kagome's sacred arrow hit at Inuyasha's feet, the shockwave sending Inuyasha airborne. He landed parallel to Sango, looking obviously much better than she, only receiving a flesh wound in his legs.   
  
This time, Inuyasha did not get up. His eyes were no longer red, and the purple streaks that crossed his face disappeared. He had finally reverted back into his half-demon form.   
  
It seemed that now, in his original form, he felt the pain that he was oblivious to in his demon form. The pain of his wounds finally brought the tough warrior down to the ground and he lie there, flinching as the pain paralyzed him.  
  
Kagome lay on Kirara, bow in hand and looking seriously hurt. She had used all of her energy to fire that shot, and was mostly exhausted from her experience than seriously wounded.  
  
Sango, who, amazingly, was up on her feet, looked like she had come out of a nightmarish event because of her wounds and anxious facial expression. She picked up the Hiraikotsu and joined Miroku and Totosai as they tended to Inuyasha. Shippo, on the other hand, went over to escort Kirara and the injured Kagome to Inuyasha.  
  
"After this experience, I think it's time for us to take a break from all this demon slaying and adventure. I think it would be best for all of us if we stayed at Lady Kaede's hut for a few days." Miroku suggested. Everyone happily agreed to Miroku's proposal, and Sango, Inuyasha, Miroku, Shippo, and Kirara all headed off to Lady Kaede's hut.  
  
However, Totosai did not join the group as he felt he was in too much danger when he was with them. On the bright side, he sharpened the Tetsusaiga so it would be at its full potential for Inuyasha's next fight. After that, he headed off to the place that he calls home.  
  
Once Inuyasha and the group reached the hut, the first task was to nurse to everyone's wounds. Lady Kaede warmly welcomed them all and personally addressed Inuyasha's wounds, whereas Miroku addressed Sango's and Kagome's. As expected, though, this did not work out, and Miroku was to sleep outside that night.  
  
Otherwise, all was well now. Inuyasha was alive and resting in his half-demon form. Kagome and Sango were bandaged up and resting as well, finally enjoying a peaceful atmosphere, as they treasured every minute of sleep they could get. Shippo and Miroku were the least injured, and they watched over the three wounded, but got some rest and relaxation in for themselves.  
  
It was now past midnight and the whole group was sound asleep, including Lady Kaede, who welcomed them all into her home. They all slept peacefully and Kirara lay comfortably next to Sango, making his owner seem a bit more cheerful. This peace and quiet will not last forever of course, because there is always someone or something out there who is after the Shikon Jewel, and no peace can be enjoyed with the jewel in existence. Hopefully, one day, peace will be dominant, and no evil will be present. But until that day, Inuyasha and the group continue to fight the forces of evil, including Naraku and Sesshomaru, in hope of reaching that dream. 


	4. Plots and Plans

Chapter 3: Plots and Plans   
  
The sky was a dark blue, as the time was right before the sun would rise. The birds were waking and animal life was just starting to stir as the new day was about to begin. Lady Kaede's hut was still quiet, as all the people there were sound asleep, resting their sore bodies and healing their wounds.  
  
Elsewhere, deep in the forest, a tall man with long silver hair and robe-like clothing sat on a patch of grass, looking into the sky where the trees conveniently opened up to give a person a view at the sky. The stars were shining brilliantly, and the man who was staring at them was also gleaming, as the moonlight seemed to be stroking his long, silver hair.  
  
Nearby this man stood a toad-like figure that was the apprentice of the silver-haired man and devoted his life to serve this brilliant man. Also, next to the toad-like creature, slept a little girl, who was not as beautiful as a lot of girls were. She wore rags, and had dirty, rough hair. Her face was covered in mud and dirt and she looked like an orphan.  
  
Another creature lay beside the girl. This beast was one hundred percent demon, with scales and two heads. Each head had its own entity; one being Ah and the other was called Un. They were both named by the little girl, who cares for the beast greatly and in return, this two-headed creature cares for and protects the child. All three were sound asleep except the one with the long, silver hair. He seemed to be deep in thought as he stared into the sky, his eyes looking blank from all vision.   
  
This demon, Sesshomaru, is the brother of the half-demon Inuyasha. He always has plans of eliminating Inuyasha and seemed to be thinking of a trap right now. His comrades, Jaken, the toad-like demon; Rin, the orphan girl who was saved by Sesshomaru's sword; and Ah and Un, the two-headed "pet" of Sesshomaru, were all in deep sleep.  
  
Sesshomaru possessed no jewel shards, but was still an extremely powerful demon. He could easily thwart Inuyasha without breaking a sweat and he made every fight with his brother seem effortless.  
  
His grudge against Inuyasha was because of envy. Sesshomaru wanted the sword that could kill one hundred demons in one swing, the Tetsusaiga. He hated that he inherited the weak Tensaiga from his father; a sword that could save one hundred lives in one swing, although he used it to save Rin.  
  
Lost in thoughts, Sesshomaru started to feel tired after staring at the moon thinking for so long. Although his body thrived to sleep, he struggled to stay awake. He was remembering times where his plans to take the Tetsusaiga from Inuyasha have failed.   
  
He remembered his first encounter with the man disguised in the baboon costume, Naraku. Thinking back at his plans made him angry, but he knew he couldn't attack Naraku basically because Naraku is always hiding and it would be a waste of his time to find him. Still, he was livid thinking of when Naraku tried to deceive him by giving him the arm with the Shikon Jewel shard in it. The shard had burst into flames causing the arm to disintegrate, leaving him with one arm less to fight Inuyasha.   
  
Another failure was when he attacked Inuyasha with the arm he acquired form the dragon he encountered. He was obviously superior Inuyasha in every way…speed, strength, and intelligence. His victory seemed inevitable, but there was one problem. The sword smith Totosai was watching, and had attacked Sesshomaru by encasing him inside a circle of flames. No damage was done to Sesshomaru, but Inuyasha and all of his friends had escaped. Not only had they escaped, but also his main target…the Tetsusaiga.  
  
Ah, he thought to himself, smiling. Why am I reminiscing about my failures? There are too many failures and not enough successes. I can remember when Inuyasha actually hurt me when he sliced the Wind Scar with his precious Tetsusaiga. If only I could have that power, I would be unstoppable!  
  
He clenched his teeth and his fangs where silhouetted in the moonlight, the light showing the sharp and large fangs of the dog-demon Sesshomaru. He was sick and tired of failing to steal Inuyasha's sword, and decided to sleep before thinking of his next plan. He looked around and saw his company.  
  
Just looking at his comrades seemed awkward. A man craving such power, although he his already powerful enough, is accompanied by a toad-like demon who has the fighting spirit of an actual toad, a little orphan girl who barely speaks, and a two-headed creature that nurses this girl.  
  
Yes, it was awkward, he thought, but I wouldn't prefer any other person, creature, or demons to be accompanied with. And with a smile, he dozed off and fell asleep.  
  
...  
  
Koga, the wolf-tribe leader, sat in his den sitting Indian-style on a big rock covered in straw, arms folded and eyes closed, thinking about something of great importance to him; he ordered all his tribe members to leave him alone, so he must be thinking of something personal.  
  
"What do you think Koga could possibly be doing in there?" a tribe member called Moka asked his companions, as they all leaned against the door of Koga's hut in hope of hearing something.  
  
"I don't know what he could be possibly doing in there for one hour without making a sound," Ruud replied. "Whatever he is doing, though, he better hurry; we attack in 10 minutes."  
  
Another tribe member suggested, "Maybe he is sleeping?"  
  
"No way," Ruud snapped at the ignorant tribe member, "Koga would never sleep at this time of day! It is not honorable to be sleeping at this time. It is a sign of weakness and laziness, and the wolf tribe has no members with those attributes, especially not our leader."  
  
With that protective speech, the now embarrassed tribe member shied away and went down to his friends to get ready for the hunt. There was about 50 tribe members accompanied by 2 wolves each member. This was a major hunt to require so many people and wolves. They were to finish the Birds of Paradise once and for all. After Inuyasha had slain the leader with the jewel shard and with Koga already possessing three jewel shards, the wolf tribe was very confident.  
  
Unfortunately for Moka and Ruud, that protective speech also disturbed Koga, and he burst open his door, sending the two eavesdropping tribe members tumbling to the ground.   
  
"I told you not to disturb me and you did the exact opposite!" Koga yelled. "I was in thought and now I lost track of what I was thinking. That's it! You two are not enjoying the feast tonight."  
  
"Koga, no!" Moka exclaimed. "Please let us partake in the wonderful feast we will be having tonight."  
  
"Yea, we're sorry! We just were too curious. We couldn't help ourselves. All we wanted to know was what you were thinking." Ruud added.  
  
"Fine, you two can eat tonight, but let this be a warning to you. And I was thinking about…um…battle strategies for the fight against the Birds of Paradise." The two mischievous wolf-tribe members hurried off to join the mass of wolves and tribe members getting prepared for the fight, satisfied with the answer that Koga gave them, although it was not true.  
  
They believed me, he thought, and that is good, because they would not respect me the same way if they knew I was really thinking about Kagome. Koga's thoughts were interrupted as a loud and obnoxious tribe member called him to join the group. Well, here we go. I hope we can finish these birds off once and for all and live peacefully among these mountains without those birds to worry about.  
  
He was also confident that the wolf tribe would come home victorious as every other person and wolf was. They had a right to be confident in themselves, but they were a little too confident.  
  
...  
  
Alone in a hut somewhere in the woods was Naraku, the demon 'who never sullies his own hands', the man who plotted Kikyo and Inuyasha against each other 50 years ago. He sat at that window once more, a broken vase on the floor behind him; it had red ooze pouring out of it. This was where Kagura's life was in…this vase. Once she died, the vase fell onto the floor from the shelf behind Naraku.  
  
It was very loud for just a breaking vase, but Naraku didn't get startled or even turn around to see what fell, just stared out of the window with that thoughtful look on his face. All of his reincarnations failed, Ryuukotsusei failed, and even when he tried to attack Inuyasha by himself or by possessing Kohaku, everything he did to eliminate Inuyasha all failed.  
  
It was time for a new approach; something that Inuyasha would never expect. Naraku was sure that this time, he would get Inuyasha.  
  
...  
  
On the planet Nomolos, a planet inhibited by beasts with great power, a civil war rages on between the Eastern Hemisphere and the Western Hemisphere. The battle seemed to be making no progress toward either side. Each force was even in strength and intelligence. Every strategic maneuver each side tried to execute was countered by the other side. Victory seemed like it would never be achieved by either side.  
  
These beasts were not the prettiest creatures in the universe. They had sharp claws that were worn on their four fingers. They had long, skinny arms that reached the ground even when they stood up straight. Also, as they stood up straight a hunched back was evident. Their faces were not very pleasant sights; large white eyes glowed on their heads, and large mouths full of fangs took up most of their face.  
  
The General for the Eastern Hemisphere had quite a different plan than his rival General. This is the only aspect that separates the two armies. The General is not looking for a better strategy like his counterpart, but is looking for a source of more strength.  
  
He had heard legends of a jewel that could increase a person's strength, but he needed to find the location of this legend. Not only that, but he needed to know if this jewel even existed first. He searched this for this knowledge by visiting the village elders. None could tell him if the legend was true or not.  
  
He left the hut of the last elder he talked to and entered the battlefield once more, seeing corpses of his own men and of the enemies. A gruesome sight it was, but the General walked right past the gory image without seemingly caring at all about the image of death and suffering.  
  
Kinto looked into the sky and noticed a gray mist in the air. He saw a figure in the mist but could not make out what it was. Then, he felt something in his stomach. It was a sharp pain, and he wrapped his arms around his abdomen and fell to his knees in pain. His eyes watered and he closed them tight. All the gunshots, the ripping of flesh, and the screaming just faded out, and all the marines and riflemen that were swarmed around him seemed to just stop.   
  
He did not want to open his eyes, and when he tried to, they were unwilling to open. It was like they were glued shut. Suddenly, the unbearable pain disappeared and was replaced with a tingling sensation. He stood up to a background of darkness. All he could see was blackness, and a few seconds later there was an outline of a man in a robe appearing in the black.  
  
"Hey, who are you!" General Kinto wanted to scream, but these words did not escape his mouth.  
  
"Calm down, my son," the now visible village elder replied to Kinto's nervous stature and scream. "I am here to help you find what you are seeking. I know you want to win this war badly, and a peaceful negotiation is not going to happen on this planet. Close your eyes once more, and look at what you see."  
  
The General was actually glad to close his eyes because he did not want to see that elder's face anymore. He had no wrinkles in his face despite his age, and had two red eyes. He had never met this old man before, but he had a bad feeling about putting his trust into him.  
  
Kinto closed his eyes and couldn't believe what he saw. His vision was of the planet Earth and focused in on a country composed of many islands. He saw all of the adventures of Inuyasha and Kagome, he saw all of the people in this country, and above all, he saw the legendary Shikon Jewel. So the legend was true, he thought. He needed to retrieve the Shikon Jewel.  
  
He opened his eyes again, now more cheerful than before, but did not see darkness or the elder anymore, but the grim scenes of the war. He needed to leave and get to Earth to possess this Shikon Jewel he saw in his vision. That one item would win this war for him.  
  
And with that, Kinto rose from his knees, walked calmly to his ship as inhabitants of his army ran past him, most bloody, whether it was there own blood or not. Then, without a care for the war at this moment, he took off in his ship for Earth, leaving his planet.  
  
When I get a hold of this jewel, he thought to himself, I can not only win the war, but take over my planet, and while I'm at it, why not Earth? With an evil smile on his face, Kinto flew to Earth in his spaceship while Inuyasha and his friends were in a comfortable sleep at Lady Kaede's. 


	5. The Strange Man and The Mechanical Thief

Chapter 4: The Strange Man and The Mechanical Thief  
  
It was now late in the morning, the sun in its position high in the sky. The wolf-demon tribe was ready for battle, their pride gleaming as they all brandished their fangs and claws, awaiting the joy of ripping open the enemies' flesh. The mixed group of wolves and tribe members conjugated at the base of the wolf den, preparing their attack on the nests of the Birds of Paradise in the peaks of the mountain that both the wolves and birds called home.  
  
On the other hand, the Birds of Paradise lingered in their nests; eating, sleeping, or just resting. But none were preparing for war. A surprise attack by the wolf tribe was about to be executed on the unsuspecting birds as they unknowingly mingled in their quarters.   
  
Koga came out of his den smiling, hands on his hips, proudly looking on at his tribe. All of these loyal members were ready to die for me, he thought. The only thing that would make my life more perfect would be a victory in this battle. Time to finish these meddling birds once and for all.   
  
"Koga, over here!" someone yelled up to him from the base of the den. Koga looked down to see who had called him. It was Moka with Ruud also looking up at Koga.  
  
"Ah, my favorite two members come to wish me luck in the battle?"  
  
"Ha," Ruud laughed. "Like you need luck, Koga? You're the one who need wish us good luck!"  
  
"Actually, Koga," Moka added, "we came to tell you the tribe is ready to commence battle!"  
  
"Ah, perfect. Then let's do this."  
  
Koga then proceeded to join his brethren at the mountain base. He moved his way to the front of the pack and they went silent to await Koga's orders. For some reason, Koga had a sense of doubt about this attack. He felt that the birds would anticipate this attack. No, he thought to himself, they couldn't…snap out of it, Koga! He felt a little nervous about this war for some reason. He was sweating buckets. His animal instincts were working overtime, it seemed.  
  
Finally, he came to and shook the negative thoughts out of his head. Then, the big moment came and he started towards the Birds of Paradise's peaks, leading his army of wolves and Wolf Tribe members. The pack of wolves ran towards the peaks, following and admiring their great leader, thirsty for blood.  
  
In the birds' nest, the unsuspecting Birds of Paradise mingled; eating food, sleeping, and the heads of the birds engaging in conversation among each other. They were in a state of peace among their own tribe. Ever since their leader was slain by Inuyasha, they were free to do what they liked, and were surprisingly thriving without a leader to guide them.  
  
Suddenly, as if an earthquake had reared its head right through the nests of the Birds of Paradise, a rumbling had erupted that all of the birds could hear. They had all exited their caves and left their nests out of curiosity and made their way towards the source of all the noise. As they peeked their heads over the cliff, they looked down and saw a sea of wolves and human tribe members quickly approaching their home, with Koga at the head.  
  
Although many birds were looking over the cliff, they were not nearly even a quarter of the whole Birds of Paradise tribe. Therefore, a few of the stronger and bigger looking birds turned and made a loud, screeching noise, obviously calling the rest of the tribe to ready for battle.  
  
By the time the birds had turned back round to face the wolves, the swarm was now running up the side of the cliff, spears aimed and pointed forward, or claws sharp and outstretched, ready to strike. The birds that had not turned around to call their fellow tribe members had taken flight, preparing to knock some wolves off of the cliff. But the wolves were too quick. They leaped off the side of the cliff into the air and had amazingly reached the flying birds. The birds struggled as the wolves clung to their backs, clawing at the heads of the strange bird creatures.  
  
However, the human tribe members reached the edge of the cliff and had climbed onto the base, easily catching the remaining birds on the cliff off guard. Some stabbed the birds with their spears, while most enjoyed ripping the flesh of their arch enemies with their own claws. After all the birds at the cliff have been slaughtered, the rest of the pack had climbed over the edge of the cliff and the wolves that were on the flying birds had landed, claws full of blood and pieces of torn flesh and feathers stuck between their fangs and teeth.  
  
Although the wolf tribe had killed the birds who called for backup, they could not stop the call for help from being heard by the rest of the birds. Suddenly, a wave of birds had appeared over the peak, coming down at the wolves. 'There's too many!, Koga thought to himself, not wanting his fear to be seen by his tribe members. 'There is no way we can beat all of these birds!'   
  
Then, to his surprise, an even bigger wave of birds had flown over the peak, and like the first wave of birds, the second had begun to swoop down at the wolves, ready to kill. Koga then opened his mouth in surprise and fear, basically gaping, at the large number of birds that were coming his way. He knew that they would not win this battle, but it was too late to call for a retreat, as the birds would chase them anyway out of anger and hatred. The birds had already made contact with his comrades, anyway.  
  
Some birds had landed and started to fight with their wings and their human-like parts started to claw and punch at wolves and human Wolf Tribe members. Some had swooped down and picked up a member or two with their huge, sharp talons.   
  
The Wolf Tribe, on the other hand, had quickly changed from aggressive offensive mode to a desperate defensive mode as the birds outnumbered them at least twenty to one. After the cliff-dwelling birds had perished, maybe ten more had died. The birds started to easily overcome the wolves as the second wave had merged with the first, forming a giant swarm of birds.  
  
Koga had managed to survive though, in the middle of his comrades he was, barely holding off attacking birds with the help of his jewel shards. Accepting defeat was hard for the Wolf Tribe, but they did have enough sense to realize when they were obviously getting annihilated.  
  
"Retreat!", Koga yelled out to all of his remaining comrades, and with that, he jumped up into the sky, bursting through the flying birds into clear sky. Then, he thrust forward and landed many yards away. He was now at the bottom of the cliff, and he looked back to the rest of his tribe, watching them perish at the hands of the Birds of Paradise. He wished he could help, but he could only watch, as he reluctantly made his way back to the Wolf's Den, leaving his comrades behind. Very few followed Koga back.  
  
...  
  
Kagome had awakened the morning after that terrible night in the mountains of Ryuukotsusei. She sat up and looked around at her friends and noticed they were all still sound asleep. 'Inuyasha seems so peaceful when his mouth is shut', she thought, a giggle passing her lips. She then proceeded to stand up fully, and she walked out of the hut into the sunlight. A good walk is what I need to settle my nerves, she decided, thinking of the terrible events that had occurred the night before.  
  
She recalled the terrors of Kagura on the mountain of Ryuukotsusei while she was briskly walking on the dirt road. Inuyasha had been in his demon form, she thought, and he easily slaughtered Kagura, and he even came after me! He loses all thought and self-control, and that is why he must always keep the Tetsusaiga by his side. I have to make sure of that.  
  
As she was walking thoughtfully on the old road, she suddenly felt a sensation in her body that made her turn to the west. A jewel shard is in that direction! Now she was no longer walking, but running back to the home of Lady Kaede.  
  
When she arrived, her friends were all awake and eating in the hut. Miroku, Sango, Inuyasha, and Shippo were all enjoying Lady Kaede's wonderful meal as they sat, legs-crossed, around a boiling pot. Each was equipped with a bowl in their hands and chopsticks in the other hand, rapidly picking up noodles and shoving them into their mouths. They all looked away from their food to the door, where Kagome had just entered. She was red-faced and panting and a feeling of concern swept the room.  
  
"Kagome", Sango said, hurrying over to Kagome to see what was wrong. "What happened? Why are you so red in the face? Is something chasing you?"  
  
Overwhelmed by the sea of questions, Kagome simply said, "No, everything is OK."  
  
"Your bent posture and tired face contradict with that, Kagome", Miroku observantly countered. "Something must be happening for you to be so flushed."  
  
"I am not hurt or anything, it's just that I sensed a jewel shard to the west.", Kagome replied to Miroku and all of her confused and concerned friends. To this, Inuyasha tuned in, as this was really the only thing he wanted to hear.   
  
"A jewel shard, you say", Inuyasha finally responded. "Then we must leave immediately."  
  
"But Inuyasha, your wounds are not yet healed! You must stay another night." Lady Kaede responded to the wounded Inuyasha.  
  
"No demon that possesses a single jewel shard could match up to me, even if I am injured. There is nothing to worry about, Kaede. I'm sure I can handle my self, thank you very much."  
  
"Just because my sensation of the jewel shard was weak, does not mean that the demon possessed only one shard; it could mean that the jewels are very far away. I think it is too risky to go, Inuyasha." Kagome said, trying to convince the stubborn Inuyasha.  
  
"There is no changing my mind. We have to get every possible jewel shard we can. Do you realize what could happen if we ignore this shard and it gets in the hands of Naraku?" Inuyasha countered as he stood up.  
  
"Inuyasha, you do have a point, but you are not thinking of the short-term effects. Yes, Naraku may get any jewel shards that we ignore, but wouldn't you rather fight him when you're at full health or die trying to get one jewel shard?" Miroku explained.  
  
Inuyasha looked at Miroku and frowned. The stare was not a cold glare, but it seemed to be an affectionate gaze. "Yes. I am not the type to let an opportunity pass me by, no matter how dangerous it is. You may think it is foolish, but it is how I think and nothing can change that." He then proceeded to walk towards the door.  
  
"I guess there is no stopping him," Sango said, gathering her things and equipping her boomerang. "Well, let's get going." Miroku looked troubled. He interpreted Inuyasha's persistence in getting the shard as an attempt to make his wish on the Sacred Jewel. I hope Inuyasha is not still planning on becoming a full-fledged demon, but that look threw mixed feelings out in the open. For his and all of our sakes, I hope he does not go through with his wish.  
  
I guess I have to take into consideration all of the troubles he has gone through and all of the adventures he has endured. With Kagome and the rest of us at his side, I strongly believe his opinion has changed. But I can never be one hundred percent sure.  
  
"Miroku! Hurry and catch up before Inuyasha is out of our sight!" Sango yelled from outside. 'Looks like we're in for another adventure,' he thought, smiling, and he got up and left the hut, waving to Lady Kaede.  
  
Miroku caught up to Inuyasha quickly since Inuyasha was slowed by his injuries. The group headed to the west in hope of finding another jewel shard. It seemed that for every shard found, the journey would become tougher. Evil does not give up fighting so easily. The battle between good and evil would rage on until the Shikon no Tama was destroyed. But Inuyasha would not let that happen for the corrupt thoughts in his head required the Jewel to be executed.   
  
Finally, after walking for what felt like hours, the group reached a large village. The village was a terrible sight. It was ransacked, buildings were aflame, and people were scattered all over the place, all dead or seriously injured.  
  
Kagome and Sango were petrified, and Inuyasha and Miroku went to investigate. They walked to the back of the village and noticed a palace that was in perfect condition. Confusion arose between the two as the looked back at the buildings destroyed or on fire, where this building was glimmering with jewels and standing on a magnificent foundation, untouched.  
  
"Let's go inside," Inuyasha said, already opening the palace's door. He stepped in followed by Miroku and they gasped at the sight. The inside of the palace was decorated with tall pillars, and the walls were covered with beautiful portraits and jewelry. It was an amazing sight for Inuyasha, as his lifestyle is not so lavish.  
  
They reached the end of the hall and came to a lone altar. It was a short, marble-carved structure that had carvings of what seemed to be gods and goddesses, and illustrious decorations, despite the fact that it was not colorful. On top of the wonderful pillar sat a fancy pillow, laced with gold and silver strips, diamonds embedded in the strips. The beauty of this pillow seemed to be wasted, as nothing was placed atop of it.  
  
Finally, in the wall above the pillow was an inscription. Miroku studied the inscription as it was in an old-fashioned calligraphy, and he doubted Inuyasha could read anyway. After staring at the inscription and brushing his fingers over the fine stone, he had the message.  
  
"It reads, 'This work of beauty has protected our fine village for centuries, ever since our father's fathers founded this land, and every day we should return the favor by praying at this altar. Please, kneel below and pay your respects to the fragment of the Shikon no Tama that has kept us safe.'"  
  
Inuyasha jumped slightly when he heard the last sentence. "A jewel shard was here. That can only mean trouble. Someone must have taken it."  
  
"It must have been Naraku. Destruction seems to be his specialty." Miroku agreed.  
  
"I don't know about this one, Miroku," Inuyasha said. Miroku had a puzzled look on his face as he was sure Naraku would be the one to steal a shard. "You know my nose," he continued, "I could pick up Naraku's foul scent from a mile away. There isn't even a weak trace of his odor here. Plus, he is not one to do things like this on his own. He would need a lackey to do it for him, and Kagura is dead."  
  
"Then…who?"  
  
"That's what we need to find out. Let's get out of here." Just as they were making their way out, Kagome and Sango screamed for them. When they arrived to the girls, they were holding a man's head in their laps. He was almost dead and stained in blood.  
  
He began to speak, but Kagome tried to stop him and attempted to give him a bandage from her first aid kit. He refused to be silenced and looked at Miroku and Inuyasha. "Fair warriors, please help me and my village! We were attacked out of nowhere by a terrible beast. He was accompanied by a man dressed in robes. This man was dangerous, he set fire to the whole village himself without breaking a sweat! His monster killed all of the villagers and attacked my fellow warriors and me. We were all left for dead." The man struggled with every word, spitting up blood as he spoke and wincing in pain as he recalled the previous events.  
  
"I was the village's best warrior…I thought I could face the monster, and I was swatted away like a fly. I saw the man and the creature head out of the village through that gate," he continued, using all of his strength to point to the eastern part of town. "Please…I beg of…you. Slay this creature and his master for me…and the…village." The man was barely hanging on to life, and he died after speaking those words.  
  
Inuyasha stood up and looked at the gate with a determined stare. He ran to the gate immediately without saying a word.  
  
"Wait up!" Miroku yelled, and the group started chasing after him. He was much too fast though. Inuyasha was serious about catching this beast, Kagome thought. He has changed a lot ever since the first time I met him…  
  
When Inuyasha reached a forest, he got on his knees and started searching for a demon scent. The others finally caught up to see Inuyasha on his knees, staring into the forest.  
  
"Inuyasha, what's wrong?" Sango asked.   
  
"I don't smell a demon or a human."  
  
"How could that be!" she replied. "Something ransacked that village!  
  
"Well, whatever it was, we'll have to find it the old-fashioned way," Inuyasha sighed, and started looking for footprints.   
  
"Let's try this way. The leaves are depressed in this area." Miroku observed.  
  
The group walked through the trees and bushes for a while, trying to follow the depressed leaves trail. Finally, they reached a clearing in which a fire had just been put out. Suddenly, Inuyasha heard rustling in the bushes, and his ears perked up.  
  
"This way!" he yelled, and leaped into the bushes. There was a beast with a robe-dressed man on his back. It was them! "We have to follow them! Hurry!" With that, Inuyasha began pursuit of the beast and his master. They were obviously not in the mood to fight, but Inuyasha would change that. The creature had excellent maneuvers, and was trying to lose the group, but Inuyasha would not be thwarted by a few slick moves.  
  
The forest had ended, and the creature stopped short before running off of a cliff. Inuyasha came out of the forest a few seconds later, sword drawn.  
  
"This is the end of the line! I will not let you get away after you had destroyed that village and stole its Jewel Shard!"  
  
"On the contrary, my friend," the man in the robe sneered back at Inuyasha. "This is the end of the line for you, not me." Although his robe concealed his face, Inuyasha could see his wicked smile. The robed man motioned to his beast and then, to Inuyasha's surprise, leaped off of the cliff!  
  
The creature inched towards Inuyasha, drooling as it growled menacingly. It charged at Inuyasha with its claws outstretched, ready to kill. The creature swung at Inuyasha, but he blocked the claws with the Tetsusaiga, and backed away from the force of the swing.  
  
"Damn, if he nailed me with that one, I would've been a goner. And I fear that wasn't his strongest move." Inuyasha winced, and readied the Tetsusaiga. "I will call the wind scar, and rid this beast from the world." Inuyasha was able to use the wind scar at will now that he has defeated Ryuukotsusei. "Let's test this baby out!" Inuyasha yelled, and hit his sword on the ground, streaks of energy running across the ground at the vile creature.  
  
The creature stood there and withstood the attack like it was nothing! It seemed that the attack felt good to him! Out of anger, Inuyasha charged at the beast with his arms outstretched, ready to deliver a blow from the Tetsusaiga. He swung full force, but the creature dodged the sword. His speed was amazing for a creature that large!  
  
It landed perfectly, and galloped towards Inuyasha like a bull, ramming him in the stomach with its head. Inuyasha was lifted off his feet and thrown back into the forest, landing in a bunch of bushes. He slowly got up out of the brush, and stood, ready to fight again.  
  
He clenched his sword with all his might, and summoned the wind scar once more. He launched it at the beast, and just like before, it seemed to be enjoying the surges of electrical energy as it hit its body. But unlike last time, Inuyasha used the creature's contentment against him. He charged the beast right after the waves of energy hit it, and stuck the Tetsusaiga in its neck, piercing its body. The beast fell to the floor and stopped moving, as Inuyasha pulled his sword out, satisfied with his slaughter.   
  
He looked at his sword to observe its magnificence, but to his surprise, the sword had no blood on it! Just then, Kagome and the others reached the clearing, panting as they burst through the brush into the open sky. She rushed to Inuyasha to see if he was intact, and looked down at the beast and gasped.  
  
"It's…a robot!" she exclaimed, alarming the others. 


	6. Rellik, the Ninja

Chapter 5: Rellik the Ninja  
  
It was an ominous day ever since the sun rose. The skies were dark, as the sun fought for position in the sky among the clouds. It started to pour as Rellik sat on his porch as he did every morning to enjoy the beauty of the rising sun. This was a mature ritual for someone as young as he. Just a young teen, he had mastered the art of the sword, owning a fine katana himself.  
  
On this day he would not be enjoying the sun though, so he got up and walked back into the house for breakfast. He would eat, and then start training with his father like he did every day. The training was tough, but he needed it in order to become a better swordsman. And that's all he really wanted in life as of now, to become a better swordsman. A simple life it was, but he enjoyed it to the fullest.  
  
He sipped his tea and finished his bread, and, wiping his mouth with a cloth, stood up from the table and headed for the back door. His father was waiting for him there. He walked into the back to see his father sitting Indian-style on a fancy pillow, meditating. His father heard him come in and opened his eyes.  
  
"Ah, are you ready for today's training? I have prepared obstacles for you and I have also readied a fighting scene in which I will act as a samurai warrior. You will be defending your family." He pointed to a pile of dolls. "Those are your family. If I harm them, you lose the scenario. Simple enough?"  
  
Rellik nodded and said, "Which one will I be doing first? The obstacles or the scenario?"  
  
His father was always a thorough man, he always got the job done. I am expecting these to be tough, Rellik thought, holding the hilt of his sword. "The obstacles can come first, I want to see your style," his father replied with a smirk.  
  
"Fine by me," Rellik returned the smile.  
  
"I'll be in the back preparing your course. I'll be a few minutes." His father was very wise, and was a good person at heart. Recently, a government has been established in our area, our village was unlucky enough to hold the Central Edifice, the huge tower where the dictator resides. They are a cruel people and are smothered in their luxuries, not a care in the world for the citizens they govern. Heavy taxes are placed on us, and we must follow ridiculous laws.  
  
My father and a small group of men are the only brave few who dare stand up to the cruel dictator. They have planned a rebellion to take place this evening. My father will lead 78 men into the tower to take down the dictator. For all of our sakes, I hope he and his men succeed.  
  
Rellik's father yelled from the back. "Alright son, the obstacles have been set and-" Rellik gasped as he heard his father choke on those last words. He stopped suddenly. 'What was wrong?! The next thing I heard was the thump of a body hitting the floor, then the click of a sword being placed back in its sheath. I started sweating profusely and breathing heavily. I saw the shadow of a figure behind the curtain that made our door, and then…my father stepped through the door.' Rellik let out a heavy, but nervous sigh.  
  
"What just happened back there?!?"  
  
"I was testing a dummy to see how sturdy it was," he replied, with no expression on his face.  
  
"Then what was that thump? Please, tell me what is going on here!"  
  
"Rellik! Don't be so worrisome!" he was yelling now. "I chopped the dummy in half and it fell to the ground. Get a hold of yourself!"  
  
"Alright.." Rellik said, still worried. "Then let's do the obstacle course, then?"  
  
"No! We're not doing the course today. Don't go back there. Let's just have our little one on one training for today."  
  
"Aren't you going to set up the dummies?"  
  
"What? What dummies?" He looked at the pile behind me and said, "Oh, those. No, no, we'll just have a fight." 'Something was wrong. I could feel it.'  
  
"Ok, dad, let's see what you got." He charged at the confident Rellik full speed, swinging his sword crazily, but Rellik easily blocked each one. Rellik then went for his own swing, and went for his torso. He cut open his father's shirt, but his father backed up enough that Rellik's swing didn't cut his skin. He then ducked down and extended his leg. He spun around on the floor and tried to trip Rellik, but he jumped, and went to swing down at him.  
  
At the last moment, he put his sword up and blocked, pushing Rellik away. He was stumbling backwards and then tripped over the dummies. 'No!' Rellik fell on his back, and his sword went sliding across the room. His father was running over to him with his sword extended, ready to deliver a blow. He quickly recollected himself and ran to the sword. Rellik quickly picked it up and turned around to face his father. But it was too late. His father hit him in the head with the hilt, and he fell to the floor. The last thing he saw was his father putting the sword back in its sheath, and then his father bending down to pick him up. After that, everything went black.  
  
...  
  
"A…robot?" Inuyasha said, scratching his head.  
  
"It's technology that not even my time has fully developed yet. How could a robot possibly be here?" Kagome explained to the confused group as they stood, scratching their heads.  
  
"Inuyasha, where is the man in the robe? Was he not with this…robot?"  
  
"He was, but he jumped off the side of the cliff here." Inuyasha looked down to see a small village. The community was composed of tiny huts arranged next to each other to make a long, straight line of homes. It was the same on the other side of the road. The road in between the alignment of houses stretched longer than where the houses stopped, and went all the way to the front steps of a giant tower.  
  
"He…jumped off?" Sango said, surprised.  
  
"How could he possibly survive a fall like this? Even if he landed in the brush below, he still would've been crushed!" Miroku examined.  
  
"Well, we don't know if he survived…but, he seemed so confident as he jumped off and sicked his crazy robot on me." Inuyasha said. "He wasn't a man expecting to die, yet he planned on jumping off the cliff…it's so strange."  
  
"Let's go investigate this village, guys," Miroku suggested, and the group headed back into the forest to get to the mysterious village.  
  
...  
  
Rellik gasped and woke up in a cold sweat. "Where the hell am I?"   
  
He looked around and noticed that he was in a dark, stone room, the only light penetrating from a small window above. But, even that was lined with bars, so there was barely any light. He was laying in a small cot hanging from the wall, but it provided little comfort.  
  
He patted his hand down near his waist and let out a heavy sigh of relief when he felt his precious sword resting in its sheath. Getting up from his cot, he walked around the room to examine some more.  
  
"Agh," he screeched as he stubbed his toe on a hard object on the floor. Wondering what object caused him this pain, he unsuspectingly reached down at the thing on the floor and brought his hand back up with a dark liquid dripping off of his hand. After inspecting the liquid in the dim light, he gasped as he realized what it was. Then, he dragged the object into the light to, unfortunately, see that his hunch was correct.  
  
It was a dead body. The face was a total expression of shock, the armored man's mouth agape and eyes wide in fear. Blood was caked onto his cheek and chin after coming from his mouth when he was killed. He had a gash in his neck that looked like it was caused by a knife. His fist was clenched, and it looked like it concealed something. Rellik bent down and forced the fingers open to reveal a small charm. What could it mean?  
  
The charm was indeed small, and it had a message etched into the middle. 'Un giorno, la luce luciderà su persino le profondità più scure di anima della  
  
malvagità.' Rellik could not understand the message, but he put the charm into his satchel for safe-keeping.  
  
"Now, I have to get out of here…" he looked around for any exit there possibly was and noticed light coming from the opposite side of the room. He ran to the light, only to uncover a giant steel door. "DAMN!" he yelled out of frustration, soon regretting it as two guards called to each other.  
  
"What the hell was that?" one asked.  
  
"The prisoner! Go see what's up." The other guard ordered the first, obviously his superior. The guard ran to the steel door, and pulled out a knife.  
  
"What's going on in there, boy? You got a problem?" he said. Rellik smirked. 'What a jackass.' This should be easy. He hid behind the door and pulled out his little bottle of ether and a small cloth that he kept in his satchel. He took in a deep breath as the man opened the giant steel door, and began walking towards the cot. Rellik quickly poured some ether onto the cloth and snuck up behind the crude guard, and shoved the cloth under his nose until he passed out and fell to the floor.  
  
"Hey, what's the boy up to?" the superior guard yelled inside the room, expecting an answer from the unconscious man. Getting no response, the man panicked and walked into the room. He gasped when he saw the limp body of his friend in the dim light of the window. He looked around for Rellik, but before he could find him, he was met by a shirukan in the neck.  
  
Rellik ran to the door and jumped over the dead body into a corridor. It was a fancy hall, lined with a thick red carpet and a marble wall decorated with torches for light and portraits of former great rulers of Japan. Rellik looked around and noticed a shadow on the wall about to turn the corner and notice Rellik. That was the last thing he wanted, was to have a guard notice him and call up fifty more goons.  
  
Thinking fast, he quickly rolled under a table lined against the wall. The table had a vase and flowers on top of it, so Rellik was extremely careful when going under it, despite the lack of time he had to get situated under there.  
  
The guard then turned the corner and began walking down the corridor, obviously not looking down at the table, as he sees it everyday. He wouldn't expect anything to be down there but the vase full of flowers. 'Unlucky for him,' Rellik thought, as he pulled a small dagger from one of his boots.  
  
The man walked by nonchalantly, whistling. But the whistling soon turned to a scream as Rellik sliced the guard's Achilles tendon with the dagger. Rellik rolled out from under the table and grabbed the man by his shirt, interrogating him.  
  
"Where am I?!? And why are you guards here? What the hell is going on?"  
  
"Please, don't hurt me. You're in the Central Edifice, and we're the dictator's personal guards."   
  
"The…Central Edifice! I'm near home. But I've got some unfinished business with your leader." He replaced the bloody dagger into his boot and looked up at the ceiling. 'The dictator is supposed to be in the throne room at the top floor. I have to get there without anyone calling attention to the dictator.' Rellik turned the corner and then heard some voices in the hall where he had just been. They were screaming for medical attention to the man with the cut Achilles tendon.  
  
'No, he'll tell them I'm here.' Rellik jumped back into the hall where he had just been, and held a few shirukans, two in each hand. There were four people looking at the man, and two running to the end of the hall running for help. Rellik took two shirukans and swiftly threw them down the hall, hitting one man in the back of the neck, and the other in the back of the head.  
  
This drew attention to the four tending to the wounded man. The unsheathed their swords, ready to fight. Rellik threw his last two shirukans, but the blocked the stars with their swords, and charged at him. Quickly, Rellik took out his katana, and ducked under one man's swing, then backing up to the wall, dodging another's. He swung his katana at the first attacker, slicing his chest. The other two went for to 'poke' Rellik with the swords, trying to put the swords through him and into the wall behind, but Rellik ducked, and in one clean swing, took off four feet, both from each man. They fell to the ground, their stumps spitting out blood everywhere.  
  
The last man was obviously scared, but he tried to hit Rellik in the neck. The ninja easily blocked and punched the man in the stomach. He then showed the man how to take someone's neck off with his own swing. Finally, he looked at the bleeding man that had called attention to everyone in the first place. The man had his eyes wide open, blood covering his pants. The man was breathing heavily, but was silenced when Rellik's sword pierced his lung.  
  
"Now that that's taken care of, I have to find a way to get up to the top floor." Rellik said, looking out a window in the corridor. 'I seem pretty high already,' he thought, looking at his house. 'From up here, it looks like a square cooking pot.' He continued down the hall, watching his back for any more 'elite guards'. When he reached a pair of stairs, he sighed heavily and said, "Well, here goes nothing," and charged up the stairs.  
  
...  
  
Inuyasha and his friends were quickly running down the hill to reach the village. When they arrived, they saw no citizens outside or inside. Every window was closed and every door seemed locked.  
  
"I thought I couldn't see anyone because I was so high up," Inuyasha said, still looking for any sign of life. "Let's go inside a house just to make sure if anyone is here." Kagome agreed and walked up to the nearest house, politely knocking on the door.  
  
"Hellooooo! Is anyone in there?" she said, waiting for an answer. After receiving no response, Kagome backed up and started to walk away. Suddenly she heard a loud crack and quickly turned around, only to see Inuyasha's foot through the door.  
  
"Inuyasha! That's someone's private residence!"  
  
"Yes, I've noticed," he replied back, smirking as he curtly stomped into the house.  
  
Kagome, Miroku, Sango, and Shippo heavily sighed at his crudeness, but followed him in. When they walked in, Inuyasha was staring at something. Kagome gasped when she turned to his gaze, as she saw a woman stuffed head first into a boiling pot of her own dinner. She was dead.  
  
"Who would do such a thing," Sango yelled, taken back by the sickening smell of soup and burning human flesh. Miroku put his hand on Sango's shoulder to comfort her, and walked her into the back room, where Inuyasha had already gone to investigate.   
  
The room was filled with an aroma coming from scented sticks being burned. There were two in a fancy pot on each side of an elegant pillow. It looked like a good place to meditate. Looking around some more, the group noticed a pile of straw dummies in the corner of the room.  
  
"Nobody else here," Kagome said, looking at a door at the end of the meditation room. "Let's check there." The group walked through the curtain that was draped from the ceiling to the floor, making the door. They noticed that there were more dummies, but these were propped up on stakes. There were more objects, like rope and wooden planks arranged to make different steps. It looked like an obstacle course.  
  
They began to make their way deeper into the yard, until Shippo tripped and knocked into Kagome. She turned around and gasped, picking up Shippo and shielding his eyes. "Inuyasha," she whispered. "Look."   
  
"I see…" he said pointing to a blood-soaked body laying a few meters from the head that Kagome and Shippo uncovered. "Something's wrong, and I have a hunch that the tower is the cause of it."  
  
"Then let's go as soon as possible. I don't want to see any more murders." Miroku said, blessing the body.  
  
Sango agreed and followed Miroku back into the house. Inuyasha, Kagome, and Shippo quickly followed, going out the front door that Inuyasha kicked down. They were now on the main road, which was actually the only road in town. They turned their sights to the giant tower, and started down the long road to the source of the evil they had witnessed, hoping to find some answers. 


	7. A New Ally

**Chapter 6: A New Ally**

"Did you see the boy?"

"Yes, but he didn't even notice. I was _this_ close to him, and he didn't know that I wasn't his father." The imposter put his face inches away from the man he was talking to.

"Hmph. That's good. Did you get the job done?"

"Yes, and don't talk to me like you're my superior. I'm the general, remember?"

"Heh, of course. Soon, we will take control of this entire damn country. No one can stop us!"

"The machineâit has been destroyed. Taking over this land may not be as easy as we thought."

"Don't fret, it was merely a prototype to an even greater battle droid. And plus, we are much stronger than even the final product, there is no need to worry if a warrior has destroyed a piece of crap rough draft."

"I guess you're right, but this man...I felt amazing power within him."

"Listen, you're the leader, you're supposed to be giving confidence to your troops, not worrying about some warrior who mustered enough strength to beat one of our robots."

"You're right, once again. You're pretty wise for a private. I might have to think of promoting you after this ordeal."

The private returned the smile and sat in his throne in the dead center of the top floor in the Central Edifice. "It's good to be ruler of this land, but when we return home, I'll be happy to be your Lieutenant."

The general put his hand on the dictator's shoulder. "Don't get ahead of yourself now." The general walked towards the staircase, making his leave. The private adored his superior, and was happy to follow him. Although he was covered in robes, he was as graceful as ever as he walked to the door that led to the descending staircase.

His elegance was interrupted, though, as the door burst off its hinges and made hard contact with the wall on the opposite side of the room. The general nearly avoided the door as it flew past him, the wind of the soaring door disheveling his robes. Fire stood at the doorway, and the door was burnt as it lay, singed, on the floor across from the staircase.

A ninja stood in the doorway, his sword outstretched, with fire surrounding him. He was panting, and his expression was anger. He stared at the dictator sitting in the chair, and said, "Where is my father, and why has he brought me here?"

His response was manic laughter as the private stood up and unrevealed a shiny metal item, of which the ninja has never seen. Suddenly, the private pulled a hooked trigger on the object, and a loud cracking noise came from the metal weapon.

Rellik then felt a sharp pain in his chest, as he was thrown out the window to his rear. He was about 100 feet in the air as he was propelled into the cold, bitter air and he plummeted downwards. The unfavorable conditions and the torture of the icy air ripping through his wound reminded him of his terrible past.

The flat mountain base was frozen over and the heavy snow was still falling as Rellik tried to maintain his balance while holding his heavy sword, the Elemental Sword of Storms. It was a magically enchanted sword that was in his family for generations. It could control all weather conditions and he was expected to test it on the snow.

Rellik was sweating despite the cold weather, as the pressure of his father looking on loomed over the young boy. He gripped the cloth wrapped hilt and closed his eyes in concentration. The sweat was now pouring down his face and the rest of his body.

He slowly raised his sword in the air and looked at the gloomy clouds. They were spinning and circling in the sky. They were taunting him, doubting his abilities. Everything was against him, nobody believed in him. He was fueled by his anger and he now thrust the sword as high above him as his arms could stretch.

He summoned the ancient power of the sword and felt it vibrating. He could feel the power flowing through the metal instrument of death, feel it entering his body. Suddenly, he lost his breath as his life force was sucked into the sword. He dropped the sword and fell on the floor, panting.

"GET UP!" the voice from atop the hill screamed, scolding him as always, never proud of his accomplishments. "Concentrate and show me the sun!"

"I'm...trying!" Rellik yelled back through deep breaths, trying to defend himself.

"Don't you DARE talk back to me!" His father was so angry, that he jumped down onto the mountain base a few feet from Rellik, his weight cracking the ice as he landed easily on the icy ground. He then took slow steps towards the breathless boy, merciless even to his own son.

The angry father stood over his son disgusted at what he saw; a ninja on his hands and knees gasping for air. "Look at me." Rellik's father said calmly. Rellik did as he was told, but paid for it with a kick in the mouth. Rellik rolled onto his back clutching his bleeding mouth.

"Damn it," Rellik whispered.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing, I'm trying again."

"Hmph." Rellik's father jumped to his hill and watched on as his son attempted the technique once more.

And again, Rellik gripped the hilt tightly, and raised the sword towards the clouds. The life force was, for a second time, drained from him and absorbed by the sword. He could not breathe and he closed his eyes and winced in pain. However he endured as long as he could.

The clouds began circling around in the sky and started to dissipate. Faster and faster they spun, creating a whirlwind in the middle that that managed to touch the ground, creating a large hold in the ice below. It was cracking the ice and a line began to crawl towards Rellik's feet.

He almost lost his balance as the cracking ice split into two halves, but luckily he was able to step on the ground that was frozen beneath the ice. Luckily, he was now able to breathe. He wondered why and looked at the sky. From the very top, the clouds were seeping into the tip of the sword and giving him energy. This continued until the sword sucked every cloud from the sky to the hole in the ground caused by the whirlwind.

The snow stopped and the winds receded. The sun now shone brightly in the sky, brightening the mountain. Success. Rellik proudly looked up at the hill to see his father's reaction, but he was not there. Sadly, Rellik walked back to his home.

Rellik felt a sudden stop and he was suspended in the air. No, wait, he now was beginning to feel arms on his back. He was regaining sense after that nasty fall. Slowly, and painfully he opened his eyes, and looked into the greenish eyes of a man with long silver hair and red clothes.

"Wow, kid, you're sure lucky I was here to catch you. Otherwise, you were a goner." Inuyasha said to Rellik, smiling. Inuyasha was accompanied by the usual lot, Miroku, Sango and Kirara, Kagome, and Shippo. Kagome, being the most compassionate, rushed to see the injured boy.

"Inuyasha!" she said alarmed. "Look at his chest!"

"Yeah, I noticed that. What the hell is it? It's just a small hole."

"It's a bullet, Inuyasha. It's technology from my era. A gun, which is more technology, shoots the bullet out at about 100 miles per hour or more, and the bullet pierces the skin. Thank God it missed his heart."

Astonished and confused, Miroku chimed in. "Then, the bullet should be removed as soon as possible."

"Yes, of course." Kagome said, happy that her explanation was adequate to people who had no idea what was going on.

"Well, we are a bit too far from Kaede's, we have to find an inn." Sango said, looking around for a sign.

"You won't find one of those here," Rellik choked out. "It was closed when the new government was established here."

"Speaking of that," Kagome said, interested in the fact of a government this early in time, "what happened to you up there? Why is there even a government here?"

"Kagome please, don't make him speak until he is healed." Miroku said.

"Um, sorry. I guess you right. Let's get him out of here and to the next village."

"Thank you all, but," Rellik blushed, "I think I can walk now, Inuyasha, was it?"

"Heh, right kid," Inuyasha lowered him to the ground and they headed back to the bottom of the cliff where Inuyasha fought the robot. "This is the entrance. Good bye and good riddance to this village."

The private of the Nomolos Eastern Hemisphere Army blew the smoke emitting from the barrel of his pistol. "Good bye and good riddance, Rellik." The general named Kinto still stood at the rectangular space in the wall where the door used to be, his eyes wide and his posture frozen.

"Wow," he said, "That was one hell of a sword." The flames from the sword where slowly burning the tough wood of the door frame, but it was dying out. The chiseled and splintered door lay on the other side of the room, blackened by ash.

"Well, we won't have to worry about him again."

"Think again," Kinto said, "looking out the broken window as Inuyasha's group left the village. "Luckily for that foolish ninja the man in the red was there to catch him."

"That's the bastard that destroyed the Prima 1.0?"

"The very same."

"Is he one of those 'people' you've been worrying about when taking over?"

"Yeah, there is a whole lot of the kind. I believe they are called demons. A tough group of warriors, no doubt, but we should be able to conquer them as well as the humans." An evil grin spread over Kinto's face as he fantasized about world domination.

Yet, it was not even his face, but the face of Rellik's father. "I don't think I'll need this disguise anymore." Kinto said as he morphed into his true state. An ability of the Nomolosan people. If you kill 'em, you can be 'em.

"I guess we should get to fixing this room, ay?"

"Sure, but first let me give our little band of bastards a little surprise." Kinto held up a small device and pressed a few buttons. He put the device back into his satchel and began helping the private tidy the room.

The crescent moon was shining dimly in the dark sky, not that it's light would illuminate the gloomy forest anyway. It was pitch black as Inuyasha and the gang continued towards a new village to get medical attention for Rellik.

"By the way, we didn't get your name." Kagome said, looking at the ninja warmly.

He felt comfortable around these people, and he was not one bit reluctant about talking to them about himself. "My name is Rellik. And yours, if I may?"

Kagome chuckled. "Your very polite, Rellik. I am Kagome, this is Sango, we have Miroku over here, and little Shippo. Oh! And Kirara down here. As you know, this is Inuyasha."

"Thank you all for helping me. I cannot express my gratitude in words."

"Don't mention it," Miroku said.

"You are a warrior, are you not?" Inuyasha said, ignoring Miroku's 'Don't mention it'.

"A ninja more specifically, but yes, you could say that I am a warrior."

"If you really want to pay us back, then why don't you join us in our fight against evil?"

"Fight against evil? Sounds good, it's the least I could do. But, I think you should elaborate." Inuyasha and his friends explained all of their adventures. Kagome's transportation to this era, the despicable Naraku, Sesshomaru, Koga, and all of the people they have come to know in this period of time.

Rellik said nothing during the telling of the evil deeds by the group, except for gasping at the terrible events. Finally, when they finished the explanation he said, "I will definitely help you. I can't just sit around and let this evil run free with my talents." Rellik winced and clutched his chest, the pain reminding him of other evils.

"Are you okay?" Sango asked, grabbing Rellik's shoulders to comfort him.

"Yes, thank you, I just need to get to that inn quickly."

"Well," Inuyasha said, pointing to a wooden arch symbolizing the entrance of a town, "we don't have to wait any longer. Let's go."

Just as they reached the arch, the bushes to their left and right started to rustle. "What was that?" Inuyasha said, his keen senses alert and ready.

"I don't know," Miroku confessed, "I am not sensing any kind of demonic aura...or any aura to that matter!"

Suddenly, as if Miroku's words were a cue, two robots burst out of the forest from both sides of the group, and pulled out their swords.


	8. The Western Edifice

**Chapter 7: The Western Edifice**

The pair of robots brandished their swords, as they gleamed for the last time of this day, as the sun was beginning to set behind them. Inuyasha and Miroku pulled out their weapons, whereas Sango and Kagome stayed in the back with the wounded Rellik. Shippo and Kirara took cover behind those three and the five watched the brave monk and Inuyasha get ready to fight the obstructing robots.

Inuyasha attacked first. Miroku charged the other robot and the two launched an all-out offensive, but Miroku's robot blocked his staff. Inuyasha's robot dodged the vertical swing from the Tetsusaiga and slashed at Inuyasha, but Inuyasha quickly backed away. The robot that attacked Inuyasha missed him a second time and went for Miroku on the third attempt at hitting one of the two. It was a success, and Miroku went sprawling into the dirt behind him, with a gash in his abdomen.

Out of anger, Inuyasha wildly attacked the robot that now had a bloody sword, and nailed it in the arm, cutting it and the sword off.

"Inuyasha!" the ear-splitting scream came from Kagome, as the second robot lifted its sword in front of her. Inuyasha was too far away though, and the robot brought its sword down, but before it could strike the defenseless Kagome, the Hiraikotsu knocked the robot away and into the ground behind it.

Sango rushed over to Kagome and helped her up, getting her and Rellik out of harms way. Meanwhile, Miroku was recovering, having used the cloth from his sleeve to wrap up his wound. The now one-armed robot was also recovering, and its second arm transformed into a large dagger, not as effective as its previous sword, yet still dangerous for the injured monk.

'Damn,' Miroku grimaced as he thought to himself, 'I can't use my wind tunnel or my hand will be cut off at the least. Plus, these guys are too strong to be sucked in.' He readied his staff and assaulted the robot, continuously ramming it in its steel head.

Miroku finally stopped, panting as he tired himself out, leaving numerous dents in the robot's head.

Inuyasha was sparring with the two-armed robot, clashing steel to steel, neither one faltering the other. Inuyasha backed off after missing a horizontal swing, and decided to call forth the wind scar. He sent the waves of energy towards the robot, engulfing it in razor-sharp winds and blades.

The smoke cleared, and to everyone's surprise, the robot emerged from the attack with a few scratches and dents, still fully functional. The robot turned its sights to Miroku for some reason, and with amazing speed, appeared next to its partner.

Miroku gasped as the ensuing threat in the two robots came nearer, both carrying dangerous weapons. The first charged from the left and began to throw some stabbing motions, Miroku skillfully dodging each. The second jumped high into the air, pointing its sword downwards, and readying a blow. Miroku did notice that, though, and jumped to his left avoiding the falling robot as the attacking robot was blocked by its ally.

Inuyasha ran to Miroku's side, grateful that the robots failed to lay a hit on the monk. "Damnit! These things don't tire!" Inuyasha yelled desperately, as he stood exhausted, barely holding up his sword.

"Inuyasha, I know this may sound hard to understand right now, but these robots are made out of wires and electricity. They don't possess stamina or endurance, they run on a circuit inside their body!" Kagome tried to explain the complexity of these robots to the primitive dog-demon, doing the best she could. As long as Inuyasha understood that he had to destroy something, Kagome knew it was enough explanation.

"The circuit inside...but, how can we break their shell?"

Kagome sighed, "That...I don't know."

"Damn," Miroku said, "it's up to our strength now, we have to break that shell!"

The robots charged, amazingly synchronized, and raised their swords at each warrior. Both Inuyasha and Miroku were weakened by fatigue, but were able to get there weapons up in a horizontal blocking position, barely able to contain the strong swings of the metal combatants.

It looked bad for the monk and the dog-demon, and it became worse when Miroku's staff splintered under the amazing pressure of the sword. All he could do was quickly let go of his staff and dive backwards, as the robot's sword crushed the staff in half and stuck to the ground.

The robot easily lifted its sword out of the ground, leaving a deep line in the dirt, Miroku's now broken staff next the hole. Inuyasha noticed Miroku's trouble and did the same as Miroku, but instead of diving out of the way, Inuyasha jumped into the air, and brought his Tetsusaiga down into the armored back of the robot, piercing the steel, and exposing the inside machinery to the bitter cold air.

Unfortunately, it did not feel pain, and it swung its broken arm around and putting it to as much use as possible, batting Inuyasha in the face and slamming him into the hard dirt. Now both Inuyasha and Miroku were on the ground, injured and defenseless, as the robots pursued their mission of killing them.

The five bystanders gasped in horror as the robots moved in for the kill, and surprisingly, Rellik was the one who forced himself to stand. He unsheathed his sword.

"No, Rellik! I know the situation looks grim, but you'll just get yourself killed too!" Sango warned him, but he ignored her, and without saying a word, raised his sword in the air.

"What are you doing? Do you want to die!" Kagome screamed, trying to restrain him, yet he kept his stance firm despite his injuries. The bitter-cold air became a freezing whip of wind, and the gust flew through the battle stage, making everyone shake in wintriness, except Rellik. He maintained his composure, and closed his eyes as he kept his sword raised in the air.

It was an amazing event, as the freezing air became virtually visible and began to circle Rellik. The energy from the cold air and the clouds seemed to be in his control, and the tip of his sword remarkably absorbed these various energy sources. It began to gain a blue aura, and was pulsating with power.

The wounded ninja used as much power as he could muster, and slammed his powerful sword into the ground, sending two icy energy waves across the ground towards the two robots.

The energy waves took solid form as they traveled across the ground, and turned into solid ice, ripping the dirt and speeding towards the robots. The first wave hit the robot with the missing arm, and the ice began to travel up its body starting at its legs.

The robot ignored the ice and raised its sword into the air, preparing to strike the motionless Miroku who was laying on the ground in front of it. The robot began its downward swing as Miroku was beginning to regain his poise, his vision coming into clarity, noticing the sword coming down at him.

All of a sudden, the blade stopped short in front of Miroku's chest, and Miroku noticed that the robot was a frozen block of ice. Sparks flew from its arm, at first melting the ice, then succumbing to it as the frozen water seeped into the robot, freezing its wires and insides. The robot was immobile, and was no longer a threat.

Meanwhile, the second robot had jumped over the icy wave, and moved away. Unfortunately for the robot, the ice column turned and followed the robot.

Rellik was in complete concentration, gripping the hilt of his sword, and controlling the column of ice with his mind. He had now picked the sword off of the ground and was holding it in front of him, the blue aura as strong as ever.

Kagome and Sango watched in awe as the ninja performed on of the greatest attacks they had ever seen. Kagome had an idea, and decided to help him.

She took out her bow and placed an arrow on the string, pulled back as hard as she could, aimed, and let go of the string. The magical arrow cut through the air and pierced the robot. It stuck to its side, and the robot was distracted for a moment, having to pull the arrow out of its metal case.

"Yes!" Kagome celebrated, "Rellik, you've got him now." The ice seemed to quicken, and the robot could no longer dodge it. But before the ice could make contact with the robot and shut it down, the ice stopped.

Confused, Kagome looked over at Rellik and saw him clutching his chest, the sword on the ground, and no longer glowing with power. 'The bullet!' she realized, and she and Sango ran over to help him.

"Inuyasha," Miroku said, getting up from the ground and brushing himself off. "Although he didn't finish them off, we should be eternally grateful to Rellik. He saved my life, and it's up to us now to finish this."

"No problem," Inuyasha smirked, being as stubborn as ever. "Let's do this, Miroku."

Inuyasha charged the robot, sword over his shoulder, but his swings would not hit and his efforts seemed fruitless. The robot seemed to be quicker and stronger now that its ally was gone, even though its back was pierced. "Damn it," Inuyasha said, drained as the weariless robot approached him, it's gleaming sword intimidating Inuyasha.

Miroku was helpless against the robot, even if he had his staff, which was now broken in half and the two pieces in Shippo's hands. He did have an idea though, and he yelled to Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha! If you can cut its arms off and get its blades out of the way, I can get it in my wind tunnel! It's our only chance!"

Inuyasha heard Miroku and didn't acknowledge it, but replied by cutting off the robot's arm. The one with the sword was the only one left.

"Nice, Inuyasha! Keep it up, one more!"

The robot, unfazed by its missing arm, continued to go on the attack, slashing horizontally and vertically at amazing speeds, Inuyasha almost unable to dodge each attack. He kept jumping backwards out of harms way, unaware of the bushes behind him. He eventually tripped over it and fell to the grassy ground of the forest on the sides of the dirt road.

Instead of taking this fall as a misfortune, Inuyasha used the cover of the bushes and the trees as probably the best chance he had of winning this fight. As expected the robot burst through the bush, cutting down a small tree next to it, searching for Inuyasha, its scanner looking for any movement in the dark forest.

Inuyasha lay as still as possible under a bush as he watched the robot go by, cutting trees and frantically looking around. It passed Inuyasha and he got up off the floor and got ready to pounce on the unsuspecting robot. It turned quickly, its scanners picking up Inuyasha's quick movement, but it was too late for the robot, Inuyasha had cut off its arm-blade, and jumped out of the forest, ready for the robot to emerge.

"Got it Miroku, once it comes out, get it with the wind tunnel." Inuyasha said, moving himself and the others behind Miroku.

Just after Inuyasha and the others were in safety, the metal warrior burst out through the trees that were on the edge of the forest and Miroku reacted quickly.

He pulled the rosary beads off of his hand and the wind tunnel took its course, sucking in all of the loose brush, leaves and dirt in the area. Alas, the robot held its ground, and was not budging. The cuffs that made up its foot were deeply dug into the ground, and its gears were completely stopped; it would not submit to the powerful winds no matter how long Miroku held it out.

After realizing his wind tunnel was of no use, Miroku wrapped his right hand up once more and stopped the wind from sucking in any more objects. The battle would continue.

"How are we going to win this!" Miroku yelled, seeing no more tactics that would be effective that had not already been tried.

"Rellik, do you think you could try that ice attack once more?" Inuyasha asked him, desperately trying to find ways to defeat this opponent.

"Inuyasha! How could you ask him to do this? Do you not see that he is-"

"Kagome, it's OK, I can pull it off." He slowly got up and repeated the incantation that he had previously done, and like before he slammed the sword into the ground, but this time creating only one ice streak that ran across the ground.

"Excellent, let's see if I can use the backlash wave with that."

Inuyasha hoisted his sword onto his shoulder and called forth the Bakuryuuha, sending rings of energy through the ice, empowering and speeding the ice, making it stronger by at least tenfold. It quickly raced towards the robot, who was lifting its cuffs out of the ground, trying to produce another blade out of its injured arm.

It was too slow, and the ice beam combined with the Bakuryuuha wiped it off the face of the earth. The once simple dirt path into the village was now a crater-packed barren area, with the vegetation around it dead.

However, Inuyasha and the rest of the group continued into the small village in search of a doctor, and now also for a weapons smith.

Upon entering the small, yet quaint village, Inuyasha, Miroku, Kagome, Sango, Rellik, Shippo, and Kirara were confronted by two guards, clad in full armor.

"What be your business here?" the first guard interrogated.

"We're here to get medical attention for our friend and we also need to see a weapons smith." Inuyasha replied, puzzled by the bewilderment on the guards' faces after his request.

"Don't you know? They closed the inn and the blacksmith's hut a few days ago," said the second.

"Closed? Why?" said Sango, who was supporting Rellik's weight on her shoulder along with Kagome. "And who's 'they'?"

The guards gasped at these questions and continued, "How do you not know? Where have you been?" said the second, starting to sweat.

The first guard looked over his shoulder cautiously and said, "Let me explain to you what has happened to this village.

"About two days ago, we were all engaged in our normal activities here at Malvagità."

"Malvagità?" Rellik cut in, "I think I've heard that from somewhere."

"Most likely because of our famed blacksmith, Asher Malvagità.

"I guess..." Rellik answered, still sure he heard the name somewhere else.

"Anyway," the first guard resumed, "that night, a heat wave came across the town, and it was the strangest thing that had ever occurred here in our simple village. Nobody knew what to do so we all went to sleep. The next morning, this large building was erected." He pointed to a large building that looked like the Central Edifice. It was basically a duplicate. "The Western Edifice, it was called, by two strange men who came in that morning and took over."

"The Western Edifice?!?" Rellik said, for a moment forgetting about his injury, then getting a painful reminder. "The Central Edifice is in my village," he continued calmly, trying not to hurt himself even more.

"Hmm, strange indeed, very strange indeed," said the second guard. "Just a few hours ago we received word from Condonnato that a similar building was constructed."

"Wait, your whole town was taken over my two strange men?" Inuyasha said, making a typical question for him.

"Yes, but these men were amazingly strong. They're probably up there right now watching us for any wrong moves."

"Bastards," Miroku said, "we NEED a doctor."

"Very well, but be aware that these rulers won't let us do anything. You're lucky we've taken a liking to you. Try to put on an act," the first guard said, glancing back and forth at the uppermost window of the Western Edifice, trying to make sure he was safe from the dictators' striking gazes.

He saw no shadows in the window, but said anyway, "Pretend we are taking you prisoner, it will make this much easier."

The act was set and the nine set off towards the doctor's house, swiftly making their way past the prison and into the front door of the doctor's house, being quick enough to avoid being caught.

"What is this?" the doctor yelled nervously, seeing how the two guards burst into his house. "I didn't do anything! I swear! I've been in my house all day!"

"Hey calm down buddy," said Inuyasha, "these guards are not persecuting you guys at their own will, they're being forced to."

"Thank you," the second said, "Doctor, we've just come for your help. We have a wounded man here who needs your attention."

The doctor, now composed, motioned for the patient. Rellik walked over and lie down on a bed under a bright light, laying himself out for the doctor.

"What is the injury?" the doctor inquired, searching Rellik's body. Rellik pointed at the bullet in his chest, wincing after accidentally pressing on the effected area.

"What's this?" the doctor said, studying the bullet in Rellik. "I've never seen anything like this in all of my years! I'm sorry to say I do not know what to do.'

"Doctor, this may be hard for you to grasp at the moment, but just listen."

"Go ahead."

"I am from the future and your patient has what is called a bullet in his body. It is shot out of a spring-coiled 'gun' that shoots this bullet at incredible speeds. It is a very dangerous weapon."

"Well," the doctor said, going along with Kagome although he understood nothing she said, "what am I to do with it?"

"I'm no doctor, but all I can say is to take it out and wrap up the wound."

"Easy enough, I suppose." And with that, the doctor set off to work on Rellik.

"In the meantime, why don't we find that weapons smith, Malvagità?"

The guards and the doctor both seemed to be transfixed for a second, stopping their activities, at the name, as if it were sacred. "Yes...yes, the guards stammered. "About that, um, Malvagità was taken away during our brief resistance against the two men. Nobody knows what happened to him, but most assume he's dead."

For some reason, this news seemed to hit Rellik the hardest. He did not know why he felt so bad about someone whose appearance he didn't even know. "Why didn't you say this before?" Rellik yelled almost making the doctor make an error as Rellik sat up abruptly.

"Calm down sonny, do you want me to make matters even worse for you?"

"I'm sorry, doctor, I didn't know what came over me."

"Well, we were still mourning his recent death before, and plus, his whereabouts never came up in our discussion about him," the first guard said, answering Rellik's question, a bit distraught. "We best get back outside before the dictator expects something is happening. Good luck with your patient, Doctor Malvagità." The guards left the house.

"Doctor Malvagità?" Miroku asked, pondering over the relationship of the doctor and the supposedly deceased weapons smith.

"Yes, he was my father."

"I'm so sorry," said the sympathizing Kagome, despite seeing no emotional change in the doctor's face.

"It's quite alright," said Doctor Malvagità, "I think I'm about over it now."

"Well, on another matter, what are we going to do with my staff?" Miroku said, taking the two pieces from Shippo, and showing them to the doctor.

"I can't do anything with it. I'm sure my father could, but why not try my uncle in Condonnato?"

"I guess it's a plan then. We'll stay the night here and depart for Condonnato tomorrow."

"Let's pray for the best," added Sango, and the seven adventurers got ready for bed, while Rellik was being worked on by the doctor.

Kinto and the private had just finished cleaning the throne room as the telephone rang. He walked over to the phone and picked up the receiver, asking the person's identity.

"Lieutenant Barggis, 3rd Unit, Western Edifice."

"State your business."

"Just recently we had some suspicious characters enter the town, but our guards locked them away according to what they reported to us."

"Interesting," Kinto said, becoming less informal, "What did they look like?"

"There was eight of them, a long silver-haired man dressed in red; a monk with a blue robe and rosary beads on his right hand; two women with long black hair; a ninja; a small fox-demon; and a cat-demon."

"It's _them_," Kinto said, clutching his fist.

"You know who they are?"

"Yes, Barggis. Exterminate them as soon as possible."

"Yes, sir."

"Thank you, Barggis, you are dismissed."

Kinto waited for the click of the phone on the other side of the line and then hung up himself. "Good," he then said to his private, who looked over to Kinto inquisitively. "We have them right where we want them. Hopefully, this time, they will be gone for good."

"I'm guessing they escaped the Ultima's?"

"Unfortunately, they have both been destroyed, but nonetheless, they will be no match for Barggis and his private."

"Of course." Kinto's private agreed, and the two continued their usual business, as Inuyasha and his friends unexpectedly slept at Doctor Malvagità's house.


End file.
